The Professional Football Writers of America have started handing out awards for those who excelled in the 2013-14 NFL season.
The first award went to the be best coach of the season. For that honor, they selected Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers. It was quite a ride for Rivera this season who many thought would get fired four games into the season. However, his team overcame a 1-3 start to the season to win 11 of their last 12 games. The Panthers won the NFC South, but lost their first playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers. However, this season had a lot of positives that they can build off of. Quarterback Cam Newton has taken the next step to become one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He still has some growing and may need some better offensive weapons, but this is a very encouraging sign. Their defense was one of the best in the league and will only continue to get better as they work on fixing the secondary.
While the head coach is the main guy, his assistants can be equally as important. None more so than Assistant Coach of the Year winner San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt’s offense finished fifth in the league in total yards per game and fourth in passing yards. It was the reemergence of quarterback Phillip Rivers, however, that made Whisenhunt stand out this season. In the past two seasons, Rivers had thrown 20 and 15 interceptions and looked like his career might have been ending. However, this season Rivers threw for 32 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions. He was back to averaging over eight yards per attempt. The Chargers went on to win a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but were knocked out by the Denver Broncos. Whisenhunt’s work did catch the attention of many other teams and he was named the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
The final award went to Executive of the Year award which is given to someone who excelled in putting together the best team whether it be free agency or the draft or a combination of both. This year it went to Kansas City general manager John Dorsey. Last season, the Chiefs were tied for the worst record, only winning two games. However, after getting head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith in the offseason this team started the 2013 season at 9-0. Dorsey also drafted offensive tackle Eric Fisher with the number one overall pick in the NFL draft to help protect Smith. The Chiefs made it to the playoffs, finishing the season 11-5. They were knocked out by the Indianapolis Colts after a slew of injuries decimated the Chiefs during the game.
